76th United States Congress



































76th United States Congress


75th ←

→ 77th


USCapitol1956.jpg

United States Capitol (1956)

January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941
Senate President
John N. Garner (D)
Senate Pres. pro tem
Key Pittman (D), until Nov. 10, 1940
William H. King (D), from Nov. 19, 1940
House Speaker
William B. Bankhead (D), until Sept. 15, 1940
Sam Rayburn (D), from Sept. 16, 1940
Members
96 senators
435 representatives
5 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority
Democratic
House Majority
Democratic
Sessions

1st: January 3, 1939 – August 5, 1939
2nd: September 21, 1939 – November 3, 1939
3rd: January 3, 1940 – January 3, 1941

The Seventy-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1941, during the seventh and eighth years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifteenth Census of the United States in 1930. Both chambers had a Democratic majority. It is the most recent Congress to have held a third session.





Contents






  • 1 Major events


  • 2 Hearings


  • 3 Major legislation


  • 4 Party summary


    • 4.1 Senate


    • 4.2 House of Representatives




  • 5 Leadership


    • 5.1 Senate


      • 5.1.1 Majority (Democratic) leadership


      • 5.1.2 Minority (Republican) leadership




    • 5.2 House


      • 5.2.1 Majority (Democratic) leadership


      • 5.2.2 Minority (Republican) leadership






  • 6 Members


    • 6.1 Senate


      • 6.1.1 Alabama


      • 6.1.2 Arizona


      • 6.1.3 Arkansas


      • 6.1.4 California


      • 6.1.5 Colorado


      • 6.1.6 Connecticut


      • 6.1.7 Delaware


      • 6.1.8 Florida


      • 6.1.9 Georgia


      • 6.1.10 Idaho


      • 6.1.11 Illinois


      • 6.1.12 Indiana


      • 6.1.13 Iowa


      • 6.1.14 Kansas


      • 6.1.15 Kentucky


      • 6.1.16 Louisiana


      • 6.1.17 Maine


      • 6.1.18 Maryland


      • 6.1.19 Massachusetts


      • 6.1.20 Michigan


      • 6.1.21 Minnesota


      • 6.1.22 Mississippi


      • 6.1.23 Missouri


      • 6.1.24 Montana


      • 6.1.25 Nebraska


      • 6.1.26 Nevada


      • 6.1.27 New Hampshire


      • 6.1.28 New Jersey


      • 6.1.29 New Mexico


      • 6.1.30 New York


      • 6.1.31 North Carolina


      • 6.1.32 North Dakota


      • 6.1.33 Ohio


      • 6.1.34 Oklahoma


      • 6.1.35 Oregon


      • 6.1.36 Pennsylvania


      • 6.1.37 Rhode Island


      • 6.1.38 South Carolina


      • 6.1.39 South Dakota


      • 6.1.40 Tennessee


      • 6.1.41 Texas


      • 6.1.42 Utah


      • 6.1.43 Vermont


      • 6.1.44 Virginia


      • 6.1.45 Washington


      • 6.1.46 West Virginia


      • 6.1.47 Wisconsin


      • 6.1.48 Wyoming




    • 6.2 House of Representatives


      • 6.2.1 Alabama


      • 6.2.2 Arizona


      • 6.2.3 Arkansas


      • 6.2.4 California


      • 6.2.5 Colorado


      • 6.2.6 Connecticut


      • 6.2.7 Delaware


      • 6.2.8 Florida


      • 6.2.9 Georgia


      • 6.2.10 Idaho


      • 6.2.11 Illinois


      • 6.2.12 Indiana


      • 6.2.13 Iowa


      • 6.2.14 Kansas


      • 6.2.15 Kentucky


      • 6.2.16 Louisiana


      • 6.2.17 Maine


      • 6.2.18 Maryland


      • 6.2.19 Massachusetts


      • 6.2.20 Michigan


      • 6.2.21 Minnesota


      • 6.2.22 Mississippi


      • 6.2.23 Missouri


      • 6.2.24 Montana


      • 6.2.25 Nebraska


      • 6.2.26 Nevada


      • 6.2.27 New Hampshire


      • 6.2.28 New Jersey


      • 6.2.29 New Mexico


      • 6.2.30 New York


      • 6.2.31 North Carolina


      • 6.2.32 North Dakota


      • 6.2.33 Ohio


      • 6.2.34 Oklahoma


      • 6.2.35 Oregon


      • 6.2.36 Pennsylvania


      • 6.2.37 Rhode Island


      • 6.2.38 South Carolina


      • 6.2.39 South Dakota


      • 6.2.40 Tennessee


      • 6.2.41 Texas


      • 6.2.42 Utah


      • 6.2.43 Vermont


      • 6.2.44 Virginia


      • 6.2.45 Washington


      • 6.2.46 West Virginia


      • 6.2.47 Wisconsin


      • 6.2.48 Wyoming


      • 6.2.49 Non-voting members






  • 7 Changes in membership


    • 7.1 Senate


    • 7.2 House of Representatives




  • 8 Committees


    • 8.1 Senate


    • 8.2 House of Representatives


    • 8.3 Joint committees




  • 9 Caucuses


  • 10 Employees


    • 10.1 Senate


    • 10.2 House of Representatives




  • 11 In popular culture


  • 12 See also


  • 13 References







Chaplain of the United States Senate ZeBarney Thorne Phillips delivering prayer to open the session



Major events





President Roosevelt signing the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, September 16, 1940.




  • April 9, 1939: African-American singer Marian Anderson performs before 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after having been denied the use both of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and of a public high school by the federally controlled District of Columbia.

  • August 2, 1939: Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt about developing the atomic bomb using uranium. This led to the creation of the Manhattan Project.

  • September 5, 1939: World War II: The United States declares its neutrality in the war.

  • November 4, 1939: World War II: President Roosevelt ordered the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons to non-belligerent nations.

  • November 15, 1939: President Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.

  • April 1, 1940: April Fools' Day was also the census date for the 16th U.S. Census.

  • May 16, 1940: World War II: President Roosevelt, addressed a joint session of Congress, asking for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900 million to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year.

  • June 10, 1940: World War II: President Roosevelt denounced Italy's actions with his "Stab in the Back" speech during the graduation ceremonies of the University of Virginia.

  • August 4, 1940: World War II: Gen. John J. Pershing, in a nationwide radio broadcast, urges all-out aid to Britain in order to defend the Americas, while Charles Lindbergh speaks to an isolationist rally at Soldier Field in Chicago.

  • September, 1940: The Army's 45th Infantry Division (previously a National Guard Division in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma), was activated and ordered into federal service for 1 year, to engage in a training program in Ft. Sill and Louisiana, prior to serving in World War II.

  • September 2, 1940: World War II: An agreement between America and Great Britain was announced to the effect that 50 U.S. destroyers needed for escort work would be transferred to Great Britain. In return, America gained 99-year leases on British bases in the North Atlantic, West Indies and Bermuda.

  • September 26, 1940: World War II: The United States imposed a total embargo on all scrap metal shipments to Japan.

  • October 16, 1940: The draft registration of approximately 16 million men began in the United States.

  • October 29, 1940: The Selective Service System lottery was held in Washington, D.C..

  • November 5, 1940: U.S. presidential election, 1940: Democrat incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican challenger Wendell Willkie and became the United States's first and only third-term president.

  • November 12, 1940: Case of Hansberry v. Lee, 311 U.S. 32 (1940), decided, allowing a racially restrictive covenant to be lifted.

  • December 17, 1940: President Roosevelt, at his regular press conference, first outlined his plan to send aid to Great Britain that will become known as Lend-Lease.

  • December 29, 1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a fireside chat to the nation, declared that the United States must become "the great arsenal of democracy."

  • January 13, 1941: All persons born in Puerto Rico after this day were declared U.S. citizens by birth, through federal law 8 U.S.C. § 1402.

  • January 20, 1941: Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes swore in President Roosevelt for a third term.

  • January 27, 1941: World War II: U.S. Ambassador to Japan Joseph C. Grew passed on to Washington a rumor overheard at a diplomatic reception about a planned surprise attack upon Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

  • February 4, 1941: World War II: The United Service Organization (USO) was created to entertain American troops.



Hearings


  • January 23, 1941: Aviator Charles Lindbergh testified before the Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.


Major legislation




  • April 3, 1939: Reorganization Act of 1939, Pub.L. 76–19, 53 Stat. 561

  • August 2, 1939: Hatch Act of 1939 ("Hatch Political Activity Act", "An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities"), ch. 410, 53 Stat. 1147

  • November 4, 1939: Neutrality Act of 1939, ("Cash and Carry Act"), ch. 2, 54 Stat. 4

  • June 29, 1940: Alien Registration Act (Smith Act), 3d sess. ch. 439, 54 Stat. 670

  • August 22, 1940: Act of August 22, 1940, ch. 686, Pub.L. 76–768, 54 Stat. 789 (including Investment Company Act of 1940, Investment Advisers Act of 1940)

  • September 16, 1940: Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, Pub.L. 76–783



Party summary



Senate












































































Party
(shading shows control)
Total
Vacant

Democratic
(D)

Farmer-Labor
(FL)

Progressive
(P)

Republican
(R)

Independent
(I)
End of the previous congress

74

2

1

18

1
96
0

Begin

69

2

1

23

1

96
0
End 68 1 25
Final voting share 7001708000000000000♠70.8% 7000100000000000000♠1.0% 7000100000000000000♠1.0% 7001260000000000000♠26.0% 7000100000000000000♠1.0%
Beginning of the next congress

66

2

1

26

1
96
0


House of Representatives
















House seats by party holding plurality in state


  80+% to 100% Democratic


  80+% to 100% Republican


  60+% to 80% Democratic


  60+% to 80% Republican


  Up to 60% Democratic


  Up to 60% Republican














































































Party
(shading shows control)
Total
Vacant

Democratic
(D)

Farmer-Labor
(FL)

American
Labor
(AL)

Wisconsin Progressive
(P)

Republican
(R)
End of the previous congress

334

5

0

8

88
435
0

Begin

256

1

1

3

173

434
1
End 252 172 429 6
Final voting share 7001587000000000000♠58.7% 6999200000000000000♠0.2% 6999200000000000000♠0.2% 6999700000000000000♠0.7% 7001401000000000000♠40.1%
Beginning of the next congress

268

1

1

3

162
435
0


Leadership



Senate




  • President: John N. Garner (D)


  • President pro tempore: Key Pittman



Majority (Democratic) leadership




  • Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley


  • Majority Whip: Sherman Minton


  • Caucus Secretary: Joshua B. Lee



Minority (Republican) leadership




  • Minority Leader: Charles McNary


  • Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale



House



  • Speaker: William B. Bankhead, until September 15, 1940 (died)

    • Sam Rayburn, from September 16, 1940



Majority (Democratic) leadership




  • Majority Leader: Sam Rayburn, until September 16, 1940

    • John W. McCormack, from September 16, 1940



  • Democratic Whip: Patrick J. Boland


  • Democratic Caucus Chairman: John W. McCormack, until September 16, 1940


  • Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry



Minority (Republican) leadership




  • Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin, Jr.


  • Republican Whip: Harry Lane Englebright


  • Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff



Members



Senate


Senators were popularly elected statewide every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1940; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1942; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1944.











House of Representatives


The names of members are preceded by their district numbers.











Changes in membership


The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.



Senate



































































State
(class)
Vacator
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's
formal installation

Illinois
(2)

J. Hamilton Lewis (D)
Died April 9, 1939.
Successor appointed April 14, 1939, to continue the term.

James M. Slattery (D)
April 14, 1939

Kentucky
(2)

M. M. Logan (D)
Died October 3, 1939.
Successor appointed October 10, 1939, to continue the term.
Successor elected November 5, 1940, to finish the term.

Happy Chandler (D)
October 10, 1939

Idaho
(2)

William E. Borah (R)
Died January 19, 1940.
Successor appointed January 27, 1940, to continue the term.
Successor elected November 5, 1940, to finish the term.

John W. Thomas (R)
January 27, 1940

Vermont
(3)

Ernest W. Gibson (R)
Died June 20, 1940.
Successor appointed October 14, 1940, to continue the term.

Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. (R)
October 14, 1940

Minnesota
(2)

Ernest Lundeen (FL)
Died August 31, 1940.
Successor appointed October 14, 1940, to continue the term.
Successor lost election to finish the term.

Joseph H. Ball (R)
October 14, 1940

Nevada
(1)

Key Pittman (D)
Died November 10, 1940.
Successor appointed November 27, 1940, to continue the term.
Successor lost nomination to finish the term.

Berkeley L. Bunker (D)
November 27, 1940

Illinois
(2)

James M. Slattery (D)
Interim appointee lost election November 21, 1940, to finish the term.

Charles W. Brooks (R)
November 22, 1940

Washington
(1)

Lewis B. Schwellenbach (D)
Resigned December 16, 1940, to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
Successor appointed December 19, 1940, to finish the term.

Monrad Wallgren (D)
December 19, 1940


House of Representatives




































































































































































































































District
Vacator
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's
formal installation

Maryland 5th
Vacant
Rep. Stephen W. Gambrill died in previous Congress

Lansdale Sasscer (D)
February 3, 1939

Arkansas 4th

William B. Cravens (D)
Died January 13, 1939

William F. Cravens (D)
September 12, 1939

Pennsylvania 4th

J. Burrwood Daly (D)
Died March 12, 1939

John E. Sheridan (D)
November 7, 1939

Tennessee 6th

Clarence W. Turner (D)
Died March 23, 1939

W. Wirt Courtney (D)
May 11, 1939

Maryland 1st

Thomas A. Goldsborough (D)
Resigned April 5, 1939, after being appointed associate justice of the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia

David J. Ward (D)
June 8, 1939

New York 34th

Bert Lord (R)
Died May 24, 1939

Edwin A. Hall (R)
November 7, 1939

Georgia 4th

Emmett M. Owen (D)
Died June 21, 1939

A. Sidney Camp (D)
August 1, 1939

Wisconsin 3rd

Harry W. Griswold (R)
Died July 4, 1939
Vacant until the next Congress

Tennessee 3rd

Sam D. McReynolds (D)
Died July 11, 1939

Estes Kefauver (D)
September 13, 1939

California 18th

Thomas M. Eaton (R)
Died September 16, 1939
Vacant until the next Congress

South Carolina 1st

Thomas S. McMillan (D)
Died September 29, 1939

Clara G. McMillan (D)
November 7, 1939

Ohio 22nd

Chester C. Bolton (R)
Died October 29, 1939

Frances P. Bolton (R)
February 27, 1940

Tennessee 2nd

J. Will Taylor (R)
Died November 14, 1939

John Jennings, Jr. (R)
December 30, 1939

Puerto Rico At-large

Santiago Iglesias (Coalitionist)
Died December 5, 1939

Bolívar Pagán (Socialist)
December 26, 1939

Colorado 3rd

John A. Martin (D)
Died December 23, 1939

William E. Burney (D)
November 5, 1940

Michigan 5th

Carl E. Mapes (R)
Died December 12, 1939

Bartel J. Jonkman (R)
February 19, 1940

New York 14th

William I. Sirovich (D)
Died December 17, 1939

Morris M. Edelstein (D)
February 6, 1940

Ohio 17th

William A. Ashbrook (D)
Died January 1, 1940

J. Harry McGregor (R)
February 27, 1940

Nebraska 1st

George H. Heinke (R)
Died January 2, 1940

John H. Sweet (R)
April 19, 1940

Tennessee 9th

Clift Chandler (D)
Resigned January 2, 1940, after being elected Mayor of Memphis

Clifford Davis (D)
February 15, 1940

New York 31st

Wallace E. Pierce (R)
Died January 3, 1940

Clarence E. Kilburn (R)
February 13, 1940

New York 22nd

Edward W. Curley (D)
Died January 6, 1940

Walter A. Lynch (D)
February 20, 1940

Iowa 6th

Cassius C. Dowell (R)
Died February 4, 1940

Robert K. Goodwin (R)
March 5, 1940

Maine 2nd

Clyde Smith (R)
Died April 8, 1940

Margaret Chase Smith (R)
June 3, 1940

Georgia 8th

W. Benjamin Gibbs (D)
Died August 7, 1940

Florence Reville Gibbs (D)
October 1, 1940

New Jersey 8th

George N. Seger (R)
Died August 26, 1940
Vacant until the next Congress

Alabama 7th

William B. Bankhead (D)
Died September 15, 1940

Zadoc L. Weatherford (D)
November 5, 1940

North Carolina 1st

Lindsay C. Warren (D)
Resigned October 31, 1940, after being appointed Comptroller General of the United States

Herbert C. Bonner (D)
November 5, 1940

Texas 18th

John Marvin Jones (D)
Resigned November 20, 1940, to become judge of the United States Court of Claims
Vacant until the next Congress

Louisiana 2nd

Paul H. Maloney (D)
Resigned December 15, 1940, to become Collector of Internal Revenue for New Orleans District
Vacant until the next Congress

Washington 2nd

Monrad Wallgren (D)
Resigned December 19, 1940, after being elected to the US Senate
Vacant until the next Congress

Missouri 11th

Thomas C. Hennings, Jr. (D)
Resigned December 31, 1940, to become candidate for Circuit Attorney of St. Louis
Vacant until the next Congress


Committees


Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (4 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.











Joint committees




  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)

  • Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers

  • Eradication of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly

  • Forestry

  • The Library

  • To Investigate Phosphate Resource of the United States

  • Taxation

  • Tennessee Valley Authority



Caucuses




  • Democratic (House)


  • Democratic (Senate)



Employees




  • Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn


  • Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver


  • Comptroller General of the United States:

    • vacant, until April 11, 1939


    • Fred H. Brown, April 11, 1939 - June 19, 1940

    • vacant, June 19, 1940 - November 1, 1940


    • Lindsay C. Warren, starting November 1, 1940




  • Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam (until 1939), Archibald MacLeish (starting 1939)


  • Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack



Senate




  • Chaplain: ZeBarney Thorne Phillips (Episcopal)


  • Curator: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Historian: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins


  • Secretary for the Majority: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Secretary for the Minority: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey


  • Sergeant at Arms: Chesley W. Jurney



House of Representatives




  • Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)


  • Clerk: South Trimble of Kentucky


  • Historian: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler


  • Postmaster: Finis E. Scott


  • Reading Clerks: [Data unknown/missing.]


  • Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney



In popular culture


  • It appears in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.


See also




  • United States elections, 1938 (elections leading to this Congress)

    • United States Senate elections, 1938

    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1938




  • United States elections, 1940 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)

    • United States presidential election, 1940

    • United States Senate elections, 1940

    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1940





References




  • House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 76th Congress (PDF)..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 1st Session.


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 1st Session (Revision).


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 3rd Session.


  • Official Congressional Directory for the 76th Congress, 3rd Session (Revision).









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